Toshi Reagon (born January 27, 1964) is an American musician of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

, blues,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and funk, as well as a composer, curator, and producer.

Early life

Born January 27, 1964 in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, Reagon grew up in Washington, D.C. She was raised by musician parents active in the civil rights movement. Her mother,

Bernice Johnson Reagon Bernice Johnson Reagon (born Bernice Johnson on October 4, 1942) is a song leader, composer, scholar, and social activist, who in the early 1960s was a founding member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee's (SNCC) Freedom Singers in t ...

, founded the all-woman a cappella group

Sweet Honey in the Rock Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are an American three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance, and sign language. Originally a four-p ...

in 1973, which had a profound influence on her. Her father, Cordell Hull Reagon, was a leader of the civil rights movement in Albany (Georgia) and member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Her parents were also part of the civil rights musical group The Freedom Singers. Reagon lists 1970's rock & roll bands such as

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, and

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, as well as classic Blues musicians such as Big Mama Thornton,

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

, and

Big Bill Broonzy Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African American audiences. In the 1930s ...

as additional musical influences.

Career

Bands and performances

Reagon began performing at age 17 when Lenny Kravitz invited her to open for him on his first world tour. She has since shared the stage with performers including Ani DiFranco, Elvis Costello and

Meshell Ndegeocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

. Reagon's first album, ''Justice'', was released in 1990 through

Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records. Bruce Kaplan, the label's founder, was a native of Chicago and the son of ...

. Since then, she has released many solo albums, including her most recent ''SpiritLand'' in December 2018. Her band, BIGLovely, has been performing since September 1996. The name BIGLovely comes from a term Reagon's girlfriend used to address her in a letter. The band includes Judith Casselberry on acoustic guitar and vocals, Robert "Chicken" Burke on drums, Fred Cass, Jr. on bass, Adam Widoff on

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

, and Catherine Russell on mandolin and vocals. The line-up also includes Jen Leigh, Ann Klein, Debbie Robinson, Allison Miller, Kismet Lyles and Stephanie McKay as substitutes.

Parable of the Sower Opera

Reagon's '' Parable of the Sower'' rock-opera, based on the novel by

Octavia Butler Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship ...

, had its world premiere at NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center in fall 2017. Shortly after, the US premiere was performed at Carolina Performing Arts at UNC-Chapel Hill, where Reagon was also an artist in residence. On April 26, 2019, it was performed at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, Minnesota. The performance, created and written by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Reagon, and directed by Eric Ting, included over 20 singers, actors, and musicians. Reagon has been a big fan of Octavia Butler's works and her themes of

Afrofuturism Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, and philosophy of science and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technocultu ...

and the eerily similar political climates led Reagon to create the opera. In relation to the differences between the novel and the opera, Reagon notes:

"We had to make the opera different because the book is enormous. We wanted to focus on the idea of two communities: one that you are born into and that holds you. The second is an unknown community that you find and who finds you. We thought it should start with this known intimate community and then tell the story by bringing the entire theater and audience into that community. That is why the lights are up at the start of the performance. We wanted audiences to experience a comfortable space and then have the experience of watching things get uncomfortable. We decided to show how fragile we become when we hold on to something when it's time to change."

Reagon's "congregational opera" was first performed in 2015 at both the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American ...

’s

Under the Radar Festival The Under the Radar Festival was a theater festival in New York City, founded in 2005 by Mark Russell (festival director), Mark Russell, former Artistic Director of Performance Space 122, P.S. 122 for over twenty years and also Guest Artistic Direc ...

and at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) in 2017.

Discography

Studio and live albums

* 1990 ''Justice'', Flying Fish Records * 1994 ''The Rejected Stone'', PRO-MAMMA LP's * 1997 ''Kindness'', Smithsonian Folkways * 1999 ''The Righteous Ones'', Razor and Tie * 2001 ''Africans in America Soundtrack w/Bernice Johnson Reagon, Various artists.'' Ryco * 2002 ''TOSHI'', Razor and Tie * 2004 ''I Be Your Water'', limited self-release * 2005 ''Have You Heard'', Righteous Babe Records * 2008 ''Until We’re Done'', self-release * 2009 ''Lava: We Become'', self-release * 2010 ''There and Back Again'', self-release * 2018 ''SpirtLand'', self release

Compilation albums

* ''Shout Sister Shout'', a tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Respond II * ''Dreaming Wide Awake'',

Lizz Wright Elizabeth LaCharla Wright (born January 22, 1980) is an American jazz and gospel singer. Life and career Wright was born in the small town of Hahira, Georgia, one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of t ...

with Toshi Reagon: Vocals * ''Real Music'', Chocolate Genius with Toshi Reagon: Vocals * ''Raise Your Voice'', Sweet Honey In The Rock collaboration with Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely * ''Africans In America'', Rycodisc, Toshi Reagon: Musician, Composer and Associate Producer * ''The Temptation of Saint Anthony'' * ''Every Mother Counts'' Starbucks

Producer

* ''The Temptation of Saint Anthony Studio Cast Recording'', Songtalk Music, 2006 * ''Sweet Honey in the Rock: The Women Gather, 30th Anniversary'', Earthbeat Records, 2003 * ''Sweet Honey in the Rock: Sacred Ground'', Earthbeat Records, 1995. Co-produced with Bernice Johnson Reagon * ''Sweet Honey in the Rock: In This Land'', Earthbeat Records, 1992. Co-produced with Bernice Johnson Reagon She also appeared on the TV show ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene ...

'' in the last episode of the fourth season, where she sings a song on the beach at Tasha's party.

Awards and recognition

*2021 Religion and the Arts Award by the American Academy of Religion *2021 The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts *2021 The APAP Award of Merit for Achievement in the Performing Arts *2015

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

''Art of Change'' Fellow *2009 Out Music Award *2007 Black Lily Award for Outstanding Performance *2004 New York Foundation for the Arts award for music composition

Personal life

Reagon is the goddaughter of folk singer

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

and is named after his wife,

Toshi Seeger Toshi Seeger (born Toshi Aline Ohta; July 1, 1922 – July 9, 2013) was an American filmmaker, producer and environmental activist. A filmmaker who specialized in the subject of folk music, Toshi's credits include the 1966 film ''Afro-American Wo ...

. Reagon, a lesbian, lives in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

with her partner and their adopted daughter.

References

External links

Official website
* *
Discography
at

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fo ...

Toshi Reagon's bandcamp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reagon, Toshi 1964 births American folk singers Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Feminist musicians American lesbian musicians LGBT African Americans Living people Righteous Babe Records artists Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists African-American women songwriters African-American guitarists 20th-century American LGBT people 21st-century American LGBT people 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers African American female guitarists